Thai Chicken Satay with Noodle Salad

The peanut sauce/marinade for the chicken and dressing in this recipe is delicious!  I loved the idea of a cold noodle salad but also wanted a little crunchiness so I added the crispy rice noodles on top of the angel hair.  My kids loved watching the rice noodles poof up in the pan! I loved all the vegetables in the salad.  I adapted the recipe from :here

Thai Chicken Salad with Noodle Salad
8 boneless chicken thighs or 4 boneless breasts
10-12 wooden skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning)
8 oz. angel hair pasta
1/3 pkg. rice noodles
2 cups sliced red cabbage
2 cups sliced green cabbage
1 cucumber, cut into julienne strips
1 cup carrots, cut into julienne strips
1 red pepper, cut into julienne strips
8 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
        For the marinade:
1 cup coconut milk
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. lemongrass, chopped (optional) I grow this in my herb garden, so I added it!
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1-2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
          Combine all the ingredients except the rice vinegar together in small mixing bowl. It will be very thick!
          Cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes and place in a 9x13 glass pan.  Pour 1/3 of the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours.  Grill the chicken over high heat until cooked and slightly charred on the outside.  Add 1-2 Tbsp. of the rice vinegar to the remaining 2/3 marinade to thin it and make the dressing for the salad. 
          Cook the angel hair pasta until al dente, drain, and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.  In a large pan add 1 Tbsp. of oil and heat on high.  Add the rice noodles, about 1/4 at a time.  It should only take a second or two for them to cook and "poof".  Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain and cool. Cut up the vegetables.
           When the chicken is cooked, assemble the salad with the angel hair noodles on the bottom, then the rice noodles, next add the vegetables, finally the chicken on top and pour the dressing over everything and top with cilantro.

Raspberry Jalapeno Sauce/Jam

Our favorite way to eat this is to pour a jar over a warmed brick of cream cheese and use tortilla chips to scoop it up!

Raspberry Jalapeno Sauce
3 cups of raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1-2 hot jalapenos (Check the heat!  My garden jalapenos were waaaayyy too mild this year.)
4- 1/2 pint canning jars, lids and rings
          Prepare the jars for canning by washing them and put the lids in a bowl of hot water to soften the rubber edges.  Wash the raspberries and add them to a small saucepan with the sugar.  Stir to combine.  Wash the jalapeno and cut a slit, lengthwise in it.  Place the whole pepper into the pan.  Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium heat and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  the berries will break apart and the sugar and juice will become a syrup consistency.  When the sauce has reduced to a thick syrup, turn off the heat and remove the jalapenos.  Ladle the sauce into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top.  Wipe the edge of the jar lid with a wet paper towel, place the lid on top, tightly screw the ring on top.  Turn the jar over and set it on a dishtowel to cool and seal. 

Chicken Fajita Skewers

I love to grill!  My dream is to one day have an outdoor kitchen.  These fajita skewers were an easy and different way to cook and serve one of my favorite meals.  The vegetables all came from my garden and the charred edges were so yummy! The marinade recipe was adapted from :here

Chicken Fajita Skewers
2 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper. diced
1 large onion, diced
1 lb. grape or yellow pear tomatoes
Wooden skewer sticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Marinade:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup EVOO
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/3 tsp. red pepper flakes

• Combine ingredients.  Place chicken in a bowl or container.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat chicken cubes.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
• Thread the chicken, peppers, onions, and tomatoes onto the skewers.  Grill over medium to high heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Serve with warm flour tortillas and salsa.  Black beans and avocados are some of our favorites too!
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General Conference Sunday..."Sundae"

I love General Conference!  I love the talks, the music, the prayers, the whole weekend with my family, everything about it!  We have a living Prophet of God on the earth and 12 Apostles of the Savior, Jesus Christ, prayerfully seeking inspiration on messages which they then carefully write for Church members and non-members too.  I haven't always had this great appreciation.  I gained it as I grew older and learned the value of it over time.  I want my children to have this love for General Conference and what it represents earlier in life than I did.  I have found that the best way to gain and keep their interest now is to appeal their "fun" sides.  I treat conference weekend as if it were another holiday.  We plan special meals and in between session outings or service projects.  We have fun treat bags and gospel related activities to help occupy the younger family members during the talks.  Everyone gets a clipboard, a note taking packet and a set of colored pens, pencils or crayons.  I, myself, learn so much more when I am taking notes and so I am trying to instill the practice into my children as well.  I love re-reading my thoughts and impressions and comparing them to the written talks when the Conference Ensign comes in the mail.  The kids all seem to be catching on to the idea of note taking.  That is how they will "earn" the the ingredients for their Conference Sundae which we will make and eat at 4:05, after the very last Sunday session.  The kids have to take notes on each speaker to get the ingredient that goes with each speaker's picture.  The Prophet is the ice cream.  His counselors are the whipped cream and the fudge, butterscotch and strawberry toppings.  Each cup of candy toppings has a picture of one of the 12 Apostles in it.  The bowl and spoon are freebies. ;)  My kids are really excited for this new addition to our General Conference weekend festivities.